Here’s a roundup of some of the help requests I’ve received over the past couple of days. Let me know if you have a question or if you need help with something. As always, you can contact me via this site or via Twitter.
Adam wrote:
i recently got a mac mini and was looking for a software program that does all the same as TiVo desktop plus (for windows)… Most seem to allow for transfers to the computer but i really want to be able to send my AVI files to the TiVo like i do with the windows version. Is there any thing out there? can you recommend any? Thanks. and i really enjoy your blog.
My response:
Adam, I think what you are looking for is a program called pyTiVo. pyTiVo is an application which among many things allows you to transcode your videos on the fly so that you can transfer them to your TiVo. I use pyTiVo on my WHS (Windows Home Server) in order to stream backup copies of my son’s DVDs. Getting pyTiVo to run on a Mac can be a little difficult however, there is an excellent application called pyTiVoX which provides an easy to install version of pyTiVo. Take a look at pyTiVoX and let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck and enjoy your TiVo!
Winston wrote:
hi .. i´m about to buy a TiVo…but I need to Know if it’s possible to record from my Slingbox, change channels and schedule some records… The problem is that I get the signal in my sling box in Miami and a repeat it with another sling box in Chile (south america) by internet…. So can I record my tv shows with that interface…
My response:
To be perfectly honest, I’m a little confused with what you are trying to do? Where would you like to install a TiVo (in Miami or Chile)? Also, how are you repeating the signal? Are you using a SlingCatcher in Chile?
That being said, TiVo does work really well with a Slingbox. As a matter of fact, I have a Slingbox connected to my TiVo HD and I use it all the time while I’m on travel or if I’m working on a blog post in my bedroom. In the past I’ve used my Slingbox to connect to my TiVo and schedule a recording while I’m on the road. If what you are asking is whether or not you can control a TiVo via a Slingbox, the answer is yes. Get back to me with a more detailed description of what you are trying to do and I’ll see if I can provide you with additional information.
I will try to be more clear…
I wat to know :
Tivo works in chile? (santiago de chile, south america) with a sling box that transmit my cable signal of miami
( i have one sling box in miami conected to my cable provider and another in my office in santiago,chile.
I undertand that Tivo has to be conected to internet or a phone line to get the tv guide… so if I`m in other country, diferent of my cable provider it`s imposible to make it work… because the ip it`s diferent….
The only posibility that a can imagine its configure Tivo in miami… bring it to santiago chile and don´t connect Tivo to internet….just to the sling box….but I dont if its posible….and for how many time it´s gonna work that way….
the main question is how can I record my tv shows in chile with Tivo(I need the tivo in chile to work with it) if I have a sling box that transmit the signal of my cable provider of miami by internet.
OK, this sounds like Winston wants to take the content form his Miami cable provider, stream it to Chile to a TiVo via the first slingbox and have a second slingbox in Chile stream from the TiVo(?).
I don’t think this could easily be done, but even if it could the video quality would be very poor. Also you’d lose any of the TiVo guide functionality, regardless where it was originally set up.
Slingboxes were just meant to stream to PCs, there’s no way to get the raw stream to a TiVo. The Tivo would need to record from an active slingplayer on a PC with the video out of the PC going to the TiVo.
The Series 3 and Tivo HD only allow antenna/cable connections. Although Series 2 allow inputs from RCA-type connections, I don’t see a way to remotely control the slingbox in Miami from the Tivo in Chile. That would have to be done by the PC. All recordings on the TiVo would have to be set manually & the slingbox would have to be changed manually as well. A clever person could devise a PC script to do this, but this is duplicating the guide functionality of the TiVo.
These two devices were never intended to work by being separated geographically. I realize Winston wants to have physical access to his TiVo to have some local functionality, but I think that would preclude having an easy way to have automatic recordings. You really need to have the two physically connected to each other in Miami to get automatic recordings.
Since the Slinbox was meant to just stream to a PC, it might be better to eliminate the TiVo and find some way to record on the PC. But maybe someone more clever than I can find a way to make this work.
I currently have a series 3 Tivo and a Slingbox Pro and use slingmobile on my Iphone, is it possible to watch from the 2nd tuner while my wife watches TV using the 1st tuner?
Seems simple but every time I try it changes watch she watches and it quickly becomes rope pulling contest.
The short answer is no.
The sling player streams only what the TiVo is displaying. All the video outputs; regardless of HDMI, component, or composite; display the same recording. Otherwise you would need a separate remote to control each output.